Message to promote Christianity

 A story has been making the social media rounds a lot lately, and it tells a heartwarming tale of a Pastor Jeremiah Steepek who posed as a homeless man to teach his new congregation. It's quite a great tale, and one that would make anyone think twice about themselves and how they treat people. Snopes.com took on this Internet phenomenon and published their findings on July 23, 2013.

Pastor Jeremiah Steepek transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church that he was to be introduced as the new pastor that morning. He walked around his soon to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service....only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him. He asked people for change to buy food....NO ONE in the church gave him change. He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit n the back. He greeted people to be greeted back with stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.

As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements and such. When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation........"We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek"....The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation.....The homeless man sitting in the back stood up.....and started walking down the aisle.....the clapping stopped with ALL eyes on him....he walked up the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and paused for a moment....then he recited

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning...many began to cry and many heads were bowed in shame.... he then said....Today I see a gathering of people......not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples...when will YOU decide to become disciples? He then dismissed service until next week.......Being a Christian is more than something you claim. I'ts something you live by and share with others


It's a great message to promote Christianity and share with others. In question is if it's all true.
Research shows that there is no mention of a "Pastor Jeremiah Steepek" whatsoever unless it is with this story. If someone is the pastor of a close to 10,000-person church, you figure there would be some mention of him somewhere.
Next up is the picture that accompanies the story when passed around social media sites. That picture is actually of an unidentified homeless man taken in London by Brad J. Gerrard.
The story of Pastor Jeremiah Steepek is one that has been passed along for years in different variations. It could be a retelling of Rev. Willie Lyle who posed as a homeless man for four days in Clarksville, TN, in 2013, and then used his experience to deliver a sermon.
This tale is also one that is extremely similar to something that happened in the opening of am 1897 novel from Charles Monroe Sheldon called "In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?" The tale was also one that was a social psychology experiment at Princeton University in 1970.
Again, the story of Pastor Jeremiah Steepek is one that is kind, heartwarming, and one that merits much thought. It's true in some regard, but not entirely as it is being made out to be as it makes the Internet rounds.

from here 

New Website KACHEP

Check this out!!!

Karamoja Christian Ethno Veterinary Program is a Ugandan NGO, based in Nabilatuk, Karamoja, Uganda, founded by Dr. Jean Grade's ethnovet staff in 2004.
KACHEP Partners with Uttermost Ministries, a ministry of Our Fathers House Christian Community Church in Chili, Wisconsin, USA.
Helping Ugandans help Ugandans.

here

the KACHEP VIDEO is out

Published on Jul 24, 2013

See the various ministries within KACHEP: Karamoja Christian Ethnoveterinary Program.
This local Ugandan run NGO is really making a different in the lives of the people in Karamoja. Famine is gripping this region at this very moment, so please consider partnering with them to save lives.

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  watch here

  
  

  
  

When students miss classes to find water

Children line up to fetch water in Kisoro District recently. Most districts in western Uganda are facing a water crisis as a result of the prolonged drought. PHOTO BY ROBERT MUHEREZA

Mbarara

For many schools in rural areas, getting clean water can be a hustle. For the lucky few, the only source of water is a dam or a well. During the dry season, the situation becomes harder as some of the water sources get dry.

At Bright Ideas Primary School in Kiruhura Town Council, Kiruhura District, students and pupils have to juggle school activities and fetching water after an acute water shortage hit the district following a dry spell that has gone on for about two months.

Classes start late while time for games has been scrapped because pupils and teachers have to fetch water from sources, far away from the school.

“The nearby dam has dried up. Together with the pupils, we fetch water from wherever we can get it,” says Mr Bright Sheith Besigye, the school proprietor. “The games time is not fun anymore because pupils use that time to find water,” he adds.

The school which has 240 pupils, uses about 250,000 litres of water every term. The main source of water for the school is a dam which is currently dry due to insufficient rains.
Although Kiruhura Town Council authorities plan to bring tap water, the project has not progressed since December last year when it was unveiled.

This is the situation faced by residents of most districts in western Uganda during the dry spell that starts around May and runs up to August every year. July is the peak of this period.

From rural communities in Ibanda, Kisoro and Kiruhura districts to urban dwellers in Mbarara District , water is very scarce. Some children nolonger attend school regularly as they have to keep at home to help their parents in searching for water a distance far away, probably three kilometres or more at the only valley dam that still has water and serving the entire sub-county or even beyond.

For communities and homes that rely on National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), supply is intermittent during this time because water levels in rivers reduce like is currently the case with River Rwizi, the company’s source of water.

Mr David Opoka, the NWSC Mbarara area manager, says the company fails to meet the overwhelming demand for water during the dry spell.

read more here 

Pastor Jesse

The Greatest Tool

I love tools. I like to use them, I like to feel them in my hand. Hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers all make me feel good.. Saws are a little bit different because if you don't take the proper time you end up cutting the wrong piece or cut the piece the wrong length. You have to really watch what you do with a saw. But other tools are much easier to use and the danger of misusing them is significantly less.

Let me give you some examples. The hammer is a great tool. You can drive  a nail with it .You can tap things into place or even beat things into place. The choice is yours according to the skill level you have. Of course you could use a rock but it just doesn't have the same balance as the hammer does or project the same aura of craftsmanship or power. Do you want to be Fred Flintstone, a rock pounder, or John Henry, a steel driving man.

Screwdrivers are fun because they are so vesatile. You can pry with it or clean gradoo (crud that builds or collects on things) even tighten or loosen screws. The whole world of appliance repair is at your fingertips when you hold a screwdriver. Wives go crazy over a husband who can fix their blow dryer.(she doesn't need to know that you have no idea how you fixed it).

Wrenches are great, too! Give a man a cheap wrench set and an hour to play with it and he can have your automobile reduced to a pile of nuts, bolts and strange, wonderous parts that do who knows what. Great advancements in scientific discovery have been brought aboutt from wrenches.The whole medical field of psyhcology began when Sigmund Freud dismanteled his wife's Buick. Working on the car's rearend he told her, "Vhat difference does it make? Now that it is taken apart we can't go back." Thus bringing about the term Freudian slip, or more precisely, Freudian nonslip differential.

But seriously the greatest tool I have ever had in my hand is the word of God. It fits perfectly in my hand. It has great balance when used properly. It can gently tap and align the wayward soul back to Christ or beat into rubble those strongholds that stand against Him. It can cut to the heart of the most defiant sinner or cutoff  the legs of the worst false teachers leaving them no place to stand.

It can pry into the heart to uncover sin and then clean up all the crud that has accumulated in our lives. It can dismantle all the strongholds of the evil one and put us on the rock where our feet do not slip.When we carry and use God's word we are fully equipped to meet all the challenges and problems in life. No other tool can make this claim.

How much would you pay for one tool that could handle every job, that is easy to use because it comes with a full set of instructions It even has a built in support line, the Holy Spirit! All you have to do is get a copy and read it. What is there that you can't love about this offer? Nothing.

That is a tool I can love and use daily. Can you?  

46 dead as hunger pounds Karamoja, Teso

Heard from Mukisa that 46 people have died from starvation.

A group of elderly people and children in Moroto District wait for relief food that was distributed by the government on Saturday. PHOTO By Steven Ariong 

As the rains began showering Karamoja and Teso sub-regions, it was welcomed as a blessing, since crops were going to grow. But as the rains continued, the joy was turned into uneasiness as the heavy downpour started flooding gardens, washing away crops and roads. What that later meant was that there would not be any crops to harvest this season. That was in the first quarter of this year.

Today, the thousands of residents in Karamoja are going for days without food, while others are on the brink of death as a result of starvation. The severe hunger has so far killed 46 people in Karamoja in the last two months, according to local authorities. The worst hit district is Kaabong, where 20 people have been confirmed dead due to starvation. The other affected districts are Napak and Moroto.

The severe food shortage has forced more than 5,000 Karimojongs to flee the country into neighbouring Kenya, where the government is supplying food to its citizens. The government, through the Disaster Preparedness ministry, at the weekend launched an emergency food distribution initiative with the aim to rescue hundreds of starving families in the seven districts of Karamoja.

read more here 

Summer Root Update

Updates and happenings:

We have just completed a training in Nairobi on
Church Planting Movements (CPM). This came at an
opportune time for us as a team as we struggled with knowing
what our next steps are. We brought one of our national partners, Joshua Sagal with us and together we felt encouraged and enabled to fulfill the calling that God has placed on our hearts for Karamoja.

In the next couple of weeks we have some practical living things we have to take care of. We have been asked to switch houses with KACHEP. We have been staying in the rock houses that Tom and Jean built, while KACHEP has rented a local building for their office. Now we will be taking over the rented building as our residence and they will be taking the rock houses as their offices. This means that we have some work ahead of us as we clean, paint, build a pit latrine, shower shelter, a more secure fence, and move our possessions.

In the months of July through August we hope to continue to
work closely with KACHEP in their projects on animal health. We also hope to focus on trainings and producing some literature materials in relation to those trainings. We desire to empower the KACHEP staff as much as we can. In addition to this we will continue to do Bible Storying and Discipleship Bible Studies in the communities, putting into practice the things that we learned during the CPM training. As part of this, we are praying to find individuals who show a particular interest in spiritual things. We hope to disciples them into roles of leadership and empower them in being able to story to their people.

Plans for coming home!

In September I am coming home for five weeks!!! I leave Uganda September 8 and I hope to spend a lot of time the first two weeks visiting many of you and speaking at churches. Then I go to my friend’s wedding on the East coast and the last two weeks will be for rest and family. This visit wasn't on my original plan, but I think this visit timely as the last year and a half have been full of challenges. During this time Simon and Carina will take a couple of weeks for a vacation and then will head up to Kaabong for three weeks of intensive language study with our Baptist friends.

I will send out a schedule of my speaking engagements, in case you would like to come and listen.

My time home is rather tight, but if you would like me to come and speak to your church or Bible study group, please contact me and we will try to work something out.

Future plans:
I return to Uganda Oct. 15. In the months of October through January, we hope to be based in Nabilatuk and continue to participate in some of KACHEPs projects and the CPM work, but we will begin to take exploration trips into the greater Karamoja area. As I have expressed before, I believe that God made be moving us out of Nabilatuk into a new area. We want to find the pockets of Karamoja where the Gospel has not yet reached.

It is our hope that by February or March we would know what steps God wants us to take. If He tells us to stay in Nabilatuk, we will stay, but if He tells us to move we want to move as He directs. We are earnestly seeking Him.

Praises: 

• Team unity, I really love Simon and Carina Gruber and praise God that He sent them my way
• Continued support for KACHEP- when Tom and Jean left last year, there was a great question as to whether or not KACHEP would survive. In June, Christian Veterinarian Mission officially withdrew their support for KACHEP since Dr Jean was no longer serving with them. In May God provided another ministry partner called Uttermost Ministries. This will allow KACHEP to continue to work and to receive donations through Uttermost Ministries. It also continues to give us an umbrella of support so that we can live and work in Karamoja. 
• Pioneers International has been registered as an NGO in Uganda. This has been a two and a half year process. This is a blessing for us because now team members can receive their work permits through Pioneers. Simon and Carina are currently in the process of getting their work permits. 
• For the doors God is opening through Bible storying and discipleship.

Prayer Requests

• That God would give us grace and strength as we move compounds. 
• That God will direct us to people who want to be disciple
• We have started storying in a new village called Napoingae and though we have only been there a few weeks, there seems to be a great spiritual interest. This interest is not limited to women and children (as in most of our other Bible study areas), but also includes the youth, warriors and elders. Pray that the seeds of truth will bear good fruit in this village. Pray that individuals will become leaders for their people and will take the Word to heart. 
• Pray that God will enable us to train the staff at KACHEP well, so that when we leave, they will remain empowered to continue the work. 
• That God will show us where to go and what to do every single day of our ministry, and that we would have humble, listening ears to hear and obey His voice. 
• For health and safety for our team
• For more workers to work alongside us

Prayer letter June 2013 Summer

June 8, 2013

Dear Friends and fellow workers, The time of planting is upon us. Early each morning oxen are hitched to plows and under the commands of whistles and whacks from the shepherd boys the thorny ground is made ready for seeds. The plow makes rough scares across the hard packed earth. Beautiful grass fields become jagged brown expanses, the uneven ground difficult to walk on. Women can be seen bent over at the waist
digging with hoes. Determination to feed their families spurs them on. Survival is essential. Sweat runs down faces, pain runs down the spine. This is tough work. These are tough people.

The ground is hard, like brick beneath the hoe. A month ago the rains were here, loosening the soil, promising a great harvest. But the rains are fickle and the remnants of their promises evaporated under the equatorial sky. Clouds gather most afternoons yet they reserve the right to release their gift upon other lands.
The ground becomes harder, the work more difficult. Rain becomes the topic of every conversation. “Ekalip. Akuj Papa, abunare nakiru.” You pray. Father God, bring the rain. We arrived in Nabilatuk when the rains were here in April. The people named Carina “Nakiru” which means “rain”.

A few weeks ago a baby from our community died and we attended the second day of the three day mourning process. The wailing had ceased and the body was buried, the people sat and talked. They drank “nagwe” the local brew and rested beneath the shade of a tree. We joined them there. An old man who was learned and spoke English sat in the circle with us. As we passed the nagwe around the circle he spoke of the traditions of the Karamojong. Then he spoke of the meaning of names. He turned to Carina “Nakiru” he said, “this is a good name. Rain. Rain brings life. Without rain we do not eat and without food we cannot survive. So your name means life. You come to bring us life.” A prophetic message honoring the purposes that God has brought us here.

Last week we participated in a large community celebration. The celebration was to honor Dr Jean. She has spent the last couple months with us finishing up her time in Karamoja. Saying goodbye to what has been her life for the last fifteen years. Her adopted Karamojong clanwanted to express their gratitude to her by spearing a bull.

Spearing a bull is not a simple matter. It is surrounded by traditions and customs of which I am mostly oblivious. I have read about such ceremonies in books, but to experience them is a different thing altogether. As a woman I would normally be banned from such events, but as an outsider, a guest, I was given the privilege of attendance.

Sitting on the fringe of the circle, I watched the ceremonies play out with some fascination.

The bull is sacrificed so that his head is facing north-east, toward Ethiopia, the origin of the Karamojong. The story is recounted of how long ago they migrated from Ethiopia to here, and so they honor the place of their birth. Facing the bull are three half-circles of men. The initiated elders sit in the innermost circle they are called “the mountains”. The second half-circle consists of the elders who are waiting initiation they are called “the antelopes”. The final circle is filled with the warriors and the guests they are called “the rats” (glad to know which category I fit into!). These are the three age-set groups of which every member of the community is a part of.

The members of the innermost circle get most of the attention for they are the most important. They get to drink the blood (straight from the carcass of the bull- but don’t worry, they added sugar to help clots form faster), they get to eat the choice cuts of meat, they get to smear the contents of the stomach on their bodies as a blessing, they get to lead the prayers, and speak as they desire. The rest of the people wait until the elders are finished before the meat is distributed to them. No one piece of meat is consumed by a single person. Every piece of meat is shared between people, it is said that if you eat with someone you cannot be enemies. This is a peace treaty of shared meat.

As we sat there participating in this event, listening to the kind words spoken on behalf of Dr. Jean, watching culture play out in front of us, it was explained that they sacrificed a brown bull. Brown, the color of the earth. Brown, the color for calling on the rain.

Unknowingly we had participated in an animal sacrifice to call the rain.

The first missionary with the Catholic Church came to Karamoja eighty years ago. The New Testament has been in print for nearly twenty years, and the full Bible was printed two years ago. Karamoja has been riddled with Christian activities and services for years and yet it is still an “unreached” land. Still the Gospel has not penetrated to the heart of the culture, into the inner circle. It has remained on the fringe, a guest among the rats. Weeds grow among the seeds, creating a syncretism of beliefs that causes confusion and false hope. There is no indigenous church, one that worships in spirit and in truth.

Planting season is upon us. The ground is hard. Seeds have been scattered for more than eighty years and yet the enemy has snatched them away, has overpowered them by the lies of tradition and culture. The people are dry and thirsty, yet they do not know that their thirst can only be quenched by the mercy of God poured out through Jesus Christ.

How many times over this last year have I desired the greatness of harvest only to discover that God first has me do the mundane work of preparing the fields and planting the seeds? So much of this year has been weeding out that which is not of God-in my team, in my own life, in the culture of Karamoja- it is a painful process but necessary for the health of the harvest. As we do the hard work of learning language and culture, the plow blades cut into the soil.

As we do the hard work of building relationships, the plow blades cut into the soil. As we endure sickness and difficulties and the people watch our responses to these circumstances, the plow blades cut into the soil. As we link scripture to culture, the plow blades cut into the soil. As we care for the animals and serve the people, the plow blades cut into the soil.

And where the soil is prepared, we begin to plant seeds. We tell Bible stories to shepherds under a tree. We have a Bible study in a village hut. We pray with the sick and suffering who come to us. We hold devotions with the KACHEP staff. We sow the seeds wherever we find the opportunity. And we search for prepared hearts.

But we cannot send the rain. Rain, life, is the work of God. He is the God of the Harvest.

We must be faithful to do the work that He has called us to, and that work is hard, that work is long. Questions plague us, “how do we do this work?”, “where does God want us to dig?”, “how do we remove the weeds of syncretism?”… There are many questions. And steadily the answer comes: Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” In this way, my life plows the soil and plants the seeds. I set my eyes on the God of the Harvest and walk humbly with Him.

Galatians 6:7-9 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will he reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from that Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not
give up.”

Oh my friends, the time of planting and harvest are upon us. Sow according to the Spirit. Do not give up. The work is hard, but the reward is of eternal value.

Pray for me as I labor in Karamoja. Pray for wisdom to guide us in this work. Pray for perseverance when the soil is hard and difficult. Pray that the Lord will send more workers to work alongside us. Pray too for the rain to come and bring life to this land (both physically and spiritually).

Matthew 9:36 “When Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples ‘the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”

Thank you for your prayers, through your prayers, you till the ground. Through your support you enable the work.
With hope for a fruitful harvest,
Summer

Joshua

Please pray for Joshua, he had a motorcycle accident 2 days ago, injured his arm leg and abdominal